3 central Ohio Republicans accuse treasurer of taking campaign cash or filing bad reports
Three Franklin County Republicans are accusing their campaign treasurer of writing himself unauthorized checks or filing inaccurate campaign reports that vastly overstated how much was in their bank accounts.
State Sen. Stephanie Kunze, R-Hilliard; former Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien and Franklin County Engineer Cornell Robertson have filed complaints with the Ohio Elections Commission about William Curlis, a longtime Republican treasurer. Kunze alleged that Curlis "secretly wrote" a series of unapproved checks to himself. The other two reported significant inaccuracies on their campaign accounts.
Curlis did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The seven-member commission is set to review the cases at a Thursday meeting.
Documents filed by Kunze's campaign in late August alleged that Curlis wrote himself 11 checks between January 2022 and June 2023 totaling $25,000. To hide those deductions, the filing alleged that Curlis submitted false campaign finance reports, making it look like Kunze had more cash than she actually did.
"William Curlis repeatedly wrote himself checks from my campaign committee, without authorization, and concealed it," Kunze wrote in her complaint.
O'Brien, who filed a complaint on July 10, wrote how he reviewed his campaign accounts after another candidate raised concerns about Curlis. In several instances, between July 2021 and January 2023, the amount reported on his campaign finance report was much higher than his account balance.
For example, O'Brien's campaign report from January 2023 lists a $3,200 starting balance, but the campaign's bank account hadn't had that much in it for the previous two years.
Robertson's complaint, filed July 6, claims Curlis reported a $383,000 balance for his campaign in January 2023, but the campaign's bank account actually had $53,000 in it.
O'Brien and Robertson did not respond to requests for comment, but Kunze sent a statement to the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau.
"For more than a decade, I and others in Franklin County entrusted Mr. Curlis with overseeing the finances of our campaign committees, during which time he gave me no reason to doubt his judgment or integrity," Kunze wrote. "I was appalled when I discovered he had violated his duty by knowingly filing false and inaccurate campaign finance reports for his own personal gain. In so doing, he violated the trust not only of myself but of the broader public."
As for what happens next, Ohio Elections Commission Executive Director Phil Richter said the commission would investigate whether any campaign finance violations occurred, including theft.
The commission has the option to send its findings to a local prosecutor for criminal charges if it's warranted, Richter said.
Anna Staver and Jessie Balmert are reporters for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 3 Ohio Republicans accuse shared campaign treasurer of pocketing cash
